The leaks we see most on West Windsor roofs
Homes built during West Windsor's growth years share a set of weak spots, and most repair calls trace back to one of them:
- Skylights. The glass is rarely the problem. Water gets in at the flashing around the frame, or at a failed seal. Condensation running off the inside of the glass can also look like a leak.
- Valleys. Complex roofs send a lot of water through a few valleys. Builder-grade shingles there wear out first, especially where a larger upper roof empties into a smaller one.
- Roof-to-wall joints. Where a lower roof meets a second-story wall, step flashing carries the water down. If the kick-out at the bottom is missing, water runs down the wall behind the siding.
- Pipe boots. Rubber collars around plumbing vents crack after years in the sun.
- Wind-lifted tabs. On open, flat ground, wind reaches roofs with nothing to slow it down. Aging shingles whose seal strips have let go are the first to lift.
We trace the leak from the stain back to its source, photograph it and show you what failed before we touch anything.
The damage you don't see from inside
Some of the most expensive problems on West Windsor houses never show up as a ceiling stain. The classic one is a missing kick-out flashing. Water from the roof edge runs down the face of the wall and soaks in behind the siding, where it can rot the sheathing and the framing around the window below. Outside, you may only see dark streaks on the siding or paint peeling below a roof-to-wall joint.
When we find that, the repair has two parts. We install kick-out flashing so the water goes into the gutter, and we open up enough siding to see how far the damage goes. If the sheathing or trim is soft, we'll show you before repairing it, and we can handle the siding work as well.
Skylights have a similar hidden side. A slow leak at the flashing can stain the drywall in the light shaft long before it drips. We reflash the unit or, if it's near the end of its life, talk with you about skylight replacement.
In winter, valleys and eaves over poorly ventilated attic sections can build ice dams. We repair the damage and look at the attic so it doesn't happen again.
Repairing an aging builder roof honestly
Many West Windsor roofs are original and close to the end of their life. That makes repair decisions trickier. A targeted fix on a skylight, pipe boot or valley can make sense on a roof with several good years left. On a roof that's already curling and shedding granules everywhere, one repair tends to lead to the next.
We'll give you our honest read with photos to back it up. If a repair buys you real time, we do the repair. If you're close to replacement, we'll say so. Sometimes the best plan is to fix the active leak now and schedule a roof replacement for the next good season.
Shingle matching matters here too. Some original builder lines are discontinued, so a repair on an older roof may be slightly visible. We'll show you the closest match before we start.
Repairs on a detached home generally don't need a permit, since re-roofing those homes has been ordinary maintenance in New Jersey since March 2018. Townhouses, condos and new skylight openings generally do need one, and we pull it through the Division of Code Enforcement & Construction. After storm damage, we document everything and can meet your adjuster. Learn more about our roof repair service, or get a starting number for a new roof with the Instant Roof Quote.
More detail on how we handle this work anywhere we serve: Roof Repair. Everything we do in West Windsor: roofing in West Windsor, NJ.
